This invention relates to electrical connector which has a fitting confirmation mechanism and is for connecting electric wires of a motor vehicle or the like to each other.
FIGS. 9 and 10 show a conventional connector including a female connector a and a mail connector b. Metal terminals are housed in the female and the male connectors, respectively, so as to be connected to each other when the female and the male connectors are connected.
The female terminal a has a locking plated extending from a hinge portion c which allows opening and closing of the locking plate d. A fitting confirmation projection e is provided on an inner side of the locking plate d and an engagement projection f is formed on a free end of the locking plate d so that the engagement projection f is engaged with an engagement portion g of the female connector a when the locking plate d is closed.
A through hole h for detecting the complete fitting of the fitting confirmation projection e is formed in a tubular main portion a.sub.1 of the female connector a and a surface of the mail connector b is provided with a locking hole i which is coincident with the through hole h.
Therefore, when the female and male connectors are in the incompletely engagement, the locking hole 1 is not coincident with the through hole h. As a result, it is impossible to insert the fitting confirmation projection e into the locking hole i so as not to close the locking plate d. On the hand, when the female and mail connectors are in the completely engagement, the fitting confirmation projection e can be introduced into the through hole h so that operator can confirm the complete engagement of the female and male connectors to lock the connectors to each other.
However, in the conventional connector, the hinge portion may be easily broken, and once the hinge portion is broken, the connector could not be used again.